F 1060 
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Copy 1 



Glimpses of the 
Northland 



By 

Arthur Santmier 

Missionary Teacher 



Price, twenty-five cents 



Sketches of Life Among the Cree and Salteaux Indians 




^>1« •? JllfAt. f^\ 




IN LIGHT HUNTING UHKSS. 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 



SKETCHES OF LIFE AMONG THE 
CREE AND SALTEAUX INDIANS 



-BY- 



ARTHUR SANTMIER 

Missionary Teacher. 



PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR BY 

S. K. J. CHESBRO, 
14 N. May Street, Chicago 



;w"5S a. ^> ?:7. 
/ Ji9 3 2i 



COPYIJIGHT, 1905 
A. SANTMIER. 



PREFACE. 

This booklet was j)re])ai'ed at the request of 
friends, and is intended to ])recede a hirger volume 
to be iniblished in the near future. 

The illustrations are from photographs taken bv 
myself and have been selected somewhat at random 
from a large collection. 

A. s. 
Chica(jo, October 12, 1905. 



I. 

THE NORTHLAND. 

The great Northern wihlerness has charms that 
belong- to no other hind. With its illimitable wastes 
of snow and ice and its vast stretches of evergreen 
forests, sprinkled with birch trees and poplars ; with 
the impressive stillness brooding over the hind, and 
with its glorious display of Aurora Borealis, it 
stands preeminently the land of lonely mystery. 

The simple-hearted Indians roaming the interior 
of this country have peculiar, native ideas of deity. 
They see the Great Spirit in the flowers and trees, 
and hear his voice in the loud peal of thunder that 
follows the lightning's flash, and in the sighing of 
the night wind. The Red Man is intensely religious 
and his religion is full of superstition. 

The line of the f'anadian Pacific Railroad forms 
a frontier for many hundreds of miles. Northward 
all is wilderness, and only within a short time has 
the tide of colonization swept in that direction. 
For many years Lake Winnipeg has been the princi- 
l)al gateway to the land of mystery, known commer- 
cially as "the fur country." Down the four hundred 
miles' expanse of this mighty lake the supplies for 
many of the Northern i»osts are carried on large, 
well-ap])ointed lake steamers. In former years the 
cumbersome York boats afforded the only means for 
tTans])orting supplies. 

At diflerent points on the lake fishing stations 



6 GLIMTSKS OF THE NORTHLAND 

liiive been established, and thousands of boxes of 
white-fisli, pickerel and sturgeon are annually sent 
to Eastern markets. In winter this might}^ lake lies 
buried beneath a mantle of ice and snow, while ter- 
rific storms swee]> over its glittering surface. 

Twenty-five miles from the foot of the lake in 
a northeasterly direction is Norway House, the dis- 
tributing point for the great Hudson's Bay Coni- 
}>any, and the center for the missionary enterprise 
of the Methodist church among the Cree and Sal- 
teaux Indians. Here the weary missionaries come in 
from the distant stations, seamed and scarred by 
storms, browned by exitosure and often weak from 
su tiering and hunger. Here all the sujiplies for the 
various mission stations are reshipped by canoe or 
dog-train. 

The building-s of the Hudson's Bay Company 
foiin (]uite a village by themselves, and many bear 
marks of battles in the old and troublesome days of 
lebellion. (Jovernment agency buildings are being 
erected, a Post-Office has been established recently, 
and a ])rosi)erous Indian l)oarding school, and a 
large church and jtarsonage give evidence of the 
l>resence and labors of the missionary. 

Southeast and east of Norway House are the 
mission stations of Island Lake, Oxford House and 
(iod's r^ake, in distance from one hundred and fifty 
to two hundred and fifty miles, reached by difficult 
canoe rout<'s. Northward from Norway House, 
down the mighty Nelson Kiver. are Cross Lake and 
Xelson House, both ])ros]»erous mission stations. 
On Lake Winnipeg, lilack Kiver, Poplar Riyer, 
Fislier Kiver. lieren's Kiver and other points are sta- 



GLIMPSES OF Til 10 NOKTHLAND 7 

tions manned by Methodist missionaries. This en- 
tire district, including a "roup of stations far out 
on the Saskatchewan River in the provinces of 
Alberta and Saskatchewan, is under the supervision 
of the district chairman. Rev. T. Ferrier, who is 
also the su])erintendent of the Indian Industrial 
School at Brandon, IManiloba. 

For three months I was stationed at Cross Lake 
on the Nelson River as teacher of the Reservation 
Scliool, and at Oxford House and God's Lake for 
one year as missionary teacher. During this time I 
traveled extensively, and observed closely and will 
relate some of my experiences. 

DOWN LAKE WINNIPEG IN WINTER. 

It was in the stormy month of March that I re- 
ceived my introduction to the Northland. A howl- 
ing blizzard had swept over Lake Winnipeg and all 
roads or trails were hidden from sight. Trains on 
the Canadian Pacific and Canadian Northern Rail- 
roads were snowbound at different points, and for 
several days no trains left the station at Winnipeg. 
Reaching Selkirk by first train after the blizzard, 1 
found all communication with the North stopj)e(l. 
Trains usually running thirty miles farther to Win- 
ni])eg P>each on the lake were cancelled, and all 
north of Selkirk was left in snowy mystery. After 
considerable inquiry I found that the teams that 
hauled fish from Reren's river, a ])oint one huudied 
and sixty miles down the lake, had been stopped for 
the season, and the only way to reach the North was 
by private horse and dog-te«m. 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 



¥ 





GLLMTSKS OF TIIK XUKTHLAXI* II 

At this jimcture 1 fortunately met Mi'. lMvinj» of 
the Ewiuj; and Fryer Fish Conijiany, a man thor- 
oughly conversant with methods of traveling in the 
North. As this gentleman was about to go far down 
the Nelson Kiver ]»ast my jtost of duty, 1 gladly ac- 
cejtted an invitation to travel with him. Late on 
Monday evening we started for Lake Winnipeg. 
For miles the road led us through dreary snow- 
drifts and then for miles upon the frozen surface of 
the Ked River of the Ncn-tli. We camped late at 
night in the log cabin of a half-breed settler, and in 
the small front room we spread our rabbit robes 
upon the Hoor and went to sleejt along with fifteen 
others — seventeen in one room. The next day, early. 
we reached the lake, and engaging a team of wiry, 
western horses, started on our long trij). We were 
obliged to carry sufficient horse feed to last during 
the entire trip. 

Our way for two or three days led us i)ast Ice- 
landic settlements along beaten roads, and then we 
crossed the Avide Washow i)eninsula and reached 
Fisher Kiver and Kay, the first Methodist miss-on 
on the west side of the lake. We startled a nundjer 
of moose while crossing this forty mile strip of wil- 
derness, and several rabbits and partridges fell vie-, 
tims to my revoher. 

We left Fisher Bay in a terrific blizzard and 
boldly launched out on the frozen exjtanse of Lake 
Winnipeg and faced the storm. The sleet cut our 
faces and benumbed our bodies, and even the ]>oor 
horses could scarcely stand before the gale, and we 
had difficulty in keejdng their heads to the nort'i. 
At one jioiiit we found ;i sleinh loaded with boxes (»f 



10 (JLIMrSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

fi'ozeu fish, fast in an ice crack. The driver, being 
unable to extricate his load, had been obliged to 
leave it. We ran our teams at full speed, and 
jumi)ed the crack safely. We crossed a number 
of these dangerous cracks in this way. After 
severe battling with storms, and considerable ef- 
fort to find the trail, we finally reached Boren's 
River, the end of our one hundred and sixty mile 
ride behind horses. Besides being j martially fuow- 
blind. my face was badly scarred and covered 
with deep cracks, filled with coagulated blood. My 
forehead and cheeks were badly blistered, and in 
many wa^s the hardships of the trip were visible. 
To travel in the North is to court hardship and suf- 
fering. 

At Beren's River I met Mrs. McLachlan, the wift* 
of a missionary among the Oree and Salteaux 
Indians for many years. Her daughter. Miss Made- 
line McLachlan, a young lady of about nineteen years, 
was born in the North, and in addition to driving 
dogs and ])addling a canoe, she ])lays the i)iano nice- 
ly. After a short rest at this point Mr. Ewing 
started on exjiecting me to follow in an hour or 
two, but unfortunately T was iniable to find dogs 
and so was delayed for several days longer. 

After considerable ])arley I secured a young In- 
dian by the name of Francis, and a team of five fair- 
ly good dogs. I had a load of but two hundred 
pounds, and so expected to ride, but the way proved 
long, the dogs slow, and the weather cold; so I ran 
nearly all the way, a distance of about one hundred 
and twenty miles, finishing in two and one-half 
(la\ s. 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 11 

A XAUROW KSCAPE. 

The first night of this journov T met with an ex- 
perience which nearly terminated my hibors ere they 
had begun. We chose for our camp a mossy phice at 
the base of an uprooted tree, and after our custom- 
ary meal of roast rabbit, bannock and strong tea, 
I conducted our evening devotions and we prei)ared 
to turn in. For the Indian this was comparatively 
an easy thing, but to me it presented a danger for 
which I was entirely unprepared. Mr. Ewing was 
several days in advance with the bedding and I had 
but one thin blanket and the night was clear and 
cold. 

Few realize the intense cold of a night in the far 
North. It comes down silently, without warning, 
and embraces in its icy folds all that has life, and 
gradually, almost imj)erceptibly, destroys that life, 
rendering the Northland a land of danger and often 
of suffering and of death. 

Wrapping myself in my blanket I lay down, but 
not to sleej), for, as the fire gradually went down the 
mercury droi)])ed, and I soon felt that I was freez- 
ing. After two or three hours without changing my 
jmsition, I became alarmed and essayed to rise, 
when I found, to my honor, that I could not move a 
muscle. In terror I endeavored to call my guide, 
but my tongue would not obey. For the s])ace of 
two or three minutes I endured untold agony. Al 
last by a violent effort I succeeded in breaking the 
spell, and was able to move one limb; then the blood 
started to circulate, and with every nerve tingling, 
and Avith teeth chntterinu as the cold rushed in. 1 



12 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

made my way to the still glowing embers of the 
camptire aud endeavored to blow them into a tlame. 
The agony of body was too great, however, and so, 
with a not very gentle kick I awoke the Indian and 
soon we had a roaring fire. At half past one in the 
morning we harnessed the dogs and started on onr 
jonrney. The Anrora Borealis illuminated the 
heavens, lighting the starry host as they coldly 
gazed down ni)on us. All nature was wrapped in a 
cold shroud of mystery as our strange cavalcade fol- 
lowed the faint trail down Lake Winnipeg. 

At the Spider Islands my driver left me and a 
trader by the name of Donald Flett volunteered to 
take me the remainder of the distance to Norway 
House. With his very fast team of four beautiful 
black dogs and a pure white leader we reached his 
home at the foot of Lake Winnipeg, a distance of 
twenty miles, in a little over two hours, and here I 
stopjted to rest. 

And, oh, the glory of nature at this point I The 
little log cabin was built upon a })oint overlooking 
a large lake, dotted with forest-clad islands, and in 
the cold, sparkling sunlight, every object in sight 
took on new beauty. For a day or two I was royally 
entertained at the home of this trader. His wife, a 
Cree Indian woman, prepared the most toothsome 
delicacies to tempt the appetite, and never shall T 
forget the kindness of this trader and his wife. On 
Sunday morning Mr. Flett harnessed his dogs to a 
( ariole. a sled with ])archment sides and back, aud 
covered with fur robes, I made my first luxurious 
cariole trip. The trail led though beautiful ever- 
green groves, dotted with silver birch trees, and I 



fjLi.Mi'sKs OF Tin: xorrniLAXit i:: 

.UTeatly onjoyod llial lido of twonty niilos in two and 
one quarter hours, the traihn- running the entire dis- 
tance. When within six miles of Norway House I 
bade farewell to my kind host, and leavin<^ my bajj;- 
5»age with an Indian, 1 finished the distance on foot. 

Upon arrival at the mission, in spite of my way- 
worn and battered a])])earance, I received a very 
cordial welcome from Kev. Mr. Lousley, the Princi- 
pal of the Indian Boarding School, and his wife. 
I here met Miss Lousley, teacher of the Reservation 
day school ; Mr. Joblin, teacher in the Boarding 
School ; Rev. Mr. Nelson, missionary in charge of 
Norway House, and his three daughters; also Miss 
Yeomans, matron of the Boarding School ; and ^Nliss 
Riley, the seamstress. All were enthusiastic in their 
work, and the school was reported to be in a i)ros- 
]»erous condition. 

The hardships of this trip were followed by a 
period of severe illness, and I was confined to the 
bed for a number of days, receiving kind care from 
all connected with the mission and school. When 
recovered sufficiently to continue my journey, two 
Indians and a cariole were i)rovided, and in weak- 
ness. I was heli)ed in and out of the cariole during 
the entire trip. The second day I reached Cross 
Lake and was warmly welcomed by the Indian mis- 
sionary, the Rev. Edward Paupanekis, and his fam- 
ily. After a further illness of more than a week 
I was at last able to begin my duties as school 
teacher, establishing my headquarters at the home 
of Brother Paupanekis, and starting at once to 
learn the language and customs of the country. 

During my stay at Cross Lake, F received many 



14 (JM.MrSES OF TFIK .\( )1C TULAM > 

courtesies froDi the missionarv, and from Mi-. 
Mclvor, the trader. Mr. Mclvor bad a faiiiilv of sev 
oral bright children, and his two oldest boys as- 
sisted me greatly in my schoolwork, as they both 
were able and willing to interpret for nie. (Jut of 
school we snared rabbits, and trap})ed nmskrats. 
and enjoyed other sports together. i)i"ten I made 
my home with the trader and his family and f shall 
always remember the good things to eat Thich Mrs. 
Mclvor prepared. 

In the North the days in summer are long. In 
^lay the day dawned at about two o'clock in the 
morning, and delayed its lingering beams until 
about ten o'clock at night ; so these early mornings 
and late evenings were devoted largely to hunting, 
fishing and exploring. Many rabbits, partridges, 
muskrats and a few ducks were secured. Sometimes 
I used a forty-four calibre rifle, and sometimes a 
shotgun. 

Edward Paupanekis is an eloquent Indian ora- 
tor. At first I could not understand a thing he said, 
excepting the names of Bible characters, but the 
gestures and facial expressions, as well as the tones 
of voice, gave me a correct idea of the subject mat- 
ter, and I considered it a treat to listen to him. 

My stay at Cross Lake, taking all things to- 
gether, was one of the most delightful i)eriods of 
my life, and will be long remembered. I trust that 
the friendships formed while there may never decay, 
but may be continued on the other side of the river, 
where disease and cold and suffering do not affect 
the body, nor trouble depress the soul. 



II. 

OXFORD HOUSE. 

This is one of the oldest of the inland po.sts of 
the great company and dates back more than six 
score 3'ears. Indeed its history is identical with 
that of Norway House in a certain sense, for Nor- 
way House was established by officers from the forts 
on Hudson's Bay, and Oxford was on the route, and 
became a natural halting place for boat brigades 
and canoes in summer, and for dog-trains in winter. 

The Methodist Mission was located for many 
years on the south side of the lake on a large bay, 
and the old church is still standing, roofless and 
tottering, a home only for the wild animal. The 
location was a beautiful one and commanded an ex- 
tensive view, but its chief charm lay in its quiet se- 
curity, reminding one of the historical land of Aca- 
dia. On the shore of a beautiful body of water, sur- 
rounded on all sides by nature's best productions, 
lakes, streams, hills and forests, with its water yield- 
ing myriads of whitefish of delicious flavor, and the 
forests close at hand furnishing the rabbit, deer, 
moose, feathered and fur-bearing game, what more 
could the native wish to complete his happiness? 
and yet to-day there are but two or three families 
located at this point, the mission has been removed 
for many years, and the old church has fallen into 
decay. An air of loneliness pervades the place and 
sadness the very atmosphere. 



li; 



CLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 




OXFORD HOUSE MISSION. 




AN INDIAN'S HOME NEAR OXFORD HOUSE. 



(;i,i.\irsi:s of 'viiv. NOUTTiT.Axn it 

Oxford Lake is an irregular body of water about 
thirty miles long, and varying in width from a few 
hundred yards to fifteen miles or more at its broad- 
est place. Near either end the lake narrows down, 
forming a deep, swiftly -tiowing river for a short dis- 
tance. At the eastern extremity the lake becomes 
very shallow with sandy bottom, and flows through 
a very naiTow channel into another lake of consider- 
able size, forming a high peninsula, upon which the 
present fort, mission and Indian village are located. 
The lake is dotted with islands, and the shore is 
broken by many beautiful bays and softly rounded 
capes. The water is greenish blue in color, entirely 
different from the muddy waters of Lake Winnipeg 
and the Nelson River, Oxford Lake is noted for the 
flavor of its whitefish. The lake trout are also of 
fine flavor, and even the large red-fin suckers that 
come in schools on the warm mud banks in early 
S])ring, are delicious to a hungry traveler. The nar- 
rows usually do not freeze in the winter owing to 
the weedy and muddy bottom, and to the powerful 
current, and here the jack-fish throng in countless 
numbers. 

A canoe trij) on beautiful Oxford Lake is not 
soon forgotten. A gentle breeze is blowing almost 
continually, the atmosphere is so remarkably clear 
that objects may be seen for many miles; the water 
is clear and splashes gently against the sides of the 
canoe as you ])addle or sail. Can a more delightful 
scene be pictured? But this is only one of the moods 
of this changeable lake. Again it rages in 1)1 ind 
fury ; the great waves dash themselves in pieces 
upon the rocks, and the wind holds high revelry. 



IS (iLIMl'SKS or Tin: NOKTIILANl) 

When Oxford Lake is angry, canoes are safe only 
when far up on the rocky shore. 

The village is situated on a high bluff at the 
eastern end of the lake, facing the vast expanse of 
blue water in summer and snowy expanse of ice in 
winter. The cold winds from all quarters of the 
compass sweep down ujxm it and whirl the drifting 
snow in fierceness around it. Directly in front is 
Lake Oxford. To the east is a short portnge, and 
then Back Lake, dotted with islands. To the north 
the swift-flowing NaiTows, and to the south a 
narrow isthmus, and beyond a vast wilderness. 
Thus the village is almost surrounded by water. 
Here the w^ords of the Ancient Mariner sometimes 
came to mind, "Water, water everywhere, and not 
a drop to drink," for in winter time the water is hid- 
den by an icy covering of from four to eight feet in 
thickness, and u])on this falls several feet of snow, 
so only by dint of much labor can water be secured. 

The Hudson's Bay Company's fort is enclosed by 
a stockade and embraces a numlier of buildings, in- 
cluding dwelling house, store, office, storeroom, In- 
dians' house and powder magazine; the last two be- 
ing located outside of the stockade. In former 
times Oxford was a very important post, and many 
hands were emi)loyed. A large number of cattle 
was kept to furnish milk for the post, and many 
were used to haul the winter's supply of wood. The 
Indian population was then much greater than now ; 
for the former glory has departed. The large barn 
has been pulled down, and a single cow represents 
the bovine greatness of the past, although a large 
business in furs is still carried on annually. 



("jrnirsES or tiik xoki'iii.am) lo 

Each yoai- sovoral York bonis are tni-ned onl by 
tlio Oxfoid boat builders. A lar<ie boat-liouse is sit- 
uated on the bank of the hike, and from the first of 
March until suuiuier tlie buildei-s are at work, 
turning- out boats for tlie use of (Jod's Lake, Ishind 
Lake and Oxford House posts. From the fori a 
path leads southward to the Mission, ])assing three 
Indian houses, and in summer time a number of 
wiiiwams. At all times the pedestrian is harassed 
by vieious do^s that know well the difference be- 
tween the White ^lan and the Indian. 

The Mission buildings are situated on the blutf 
and are surrounded by the same grassy fields that 
surround the fcnt. A board walk leads down the 
steep slope to the lake. A small garden is enclosed 
by a picket fence, and a thin growth of trees in front 
relieves the boldness and barrenness of the scene. 
The view from the verandah connnands almost the 
entire width of the hdce for fifteen or twenty miles. 
From the company's fort a view for twenty or more 
miles may be obtained, and objects at this distance 
are shown quite jtlainly by the use of a ])air of ]>ow- 
erful field-glasses. 

The Mission Station faces the west, and the 
Western sun flooded my room with its glory. There 
is nothing to compare with the beautiful sunsets of 
this Northern land. With its Aurora Borealis and 
its disjjlays of sunlight both morning and evening it 
seems truly God's great out-of-door cathedral , and 
if as Bryant says, ^'The groves were Ood's first tem- 
ples," how fitting that in flood of sunset or in flash- 
ing midnight glory, (lod should come to his tem]>le 
while all nature worships. 



L'o cr.nirsKs ok riii: .nou'iulam) 

Extending farther aronnd the lake is a line of 
Indian houses, reinforced in summer by many wig- 
wams. But these liouses contain few of the band 
who claim Oxford House as their fur market. For 
many miles along both shores of the lake are lonely 
houses, occui>ied only in winter, and without ex- 
(•e])tiou situated in a jMcturesijue place, commanding 
an extensive view. 

The houses are of logs, hastily built, mudded in- 
side and outside, with a huge, mud-lined fireplace 
and chimney on one side. These houses are usually 
very small, and of course contain but one room, of 
height sufhcient to allow a full-grown person to 
stand erect when not near the wall. Just over the 
fire])lace a framework of poles is placed and upon 
this staging articles of clothing are dried, frozen 
lish and game are thawed, and meat is dried for 
future use. The builditig is usually surrounded by 
lieaps of refuse; entrails of wild animals, remains of 
tish, and filth of all descriptions is thrown just out- 
side of the door. This condition of surroundings is 
often the cause of dangerous sickness. The houses 
are occupied by from four to fourteen individuals, 
and sometimes by more. In nearly every case sev- 
eral families live together, without tables or chairs 
or any furniture unless jierhaps one may boast of a 
box in Avhich he or she keeps the choicest posses- 
sions, so the floor becomes table, chair and bed. 
The Indian sits or lies u]»on the floor, eats and 
works on the floor, and at night rolls up in a dirty 
rabbit-skin robe and sleej)s on the floor. No wonder 
that immorality and disease flourish. The wigwams 
are not much better, but have the advantage of a 



(u.nirsEs OF the noutiiland lm 

thorough c-ii'cnlation of air both day and niglit. In 
winter the wi<>wani is built of poles closely packed 
toiiotlier, chinked Mith moss, with tire in the center 
and central draft throu<;h the toj) of the wij^wani. 
In summer all houses are deserted and light wig 
warns of birch bark or canvas take their i)lace. 

The Oxford House band comprises about three 
hundred and fifty men, women and children. Of 
this number eighty are members of the ^lethodist 
church and fully one hundred more attend the 
church services regularly. The place of woman is 
different from that of long ago, as the christianiz- 
ing influence of the (}os})el is slowly but surely work- 
ing a decided change for the better, while polygamy 
among those bands reached by the missionaries is 
practically a thing of the past. 



III. 

TEACHING INDIAN SCHOOLS. 

The education of the Indian is being looked after 
both by the government and the church. On all the 
Reserves day schools have been established, and in 
Nou Treaty territory several different denomina- 
tions are at work. The Methodist, the English and 
the Ronum Catholic churches have missions and 
schools among the various tribes of Canadian In- 
dians. In many instances the church and state 
work together, the church furnishing ti'ained teach- 
ers, and the Indian department sui)i)lying school 
material, and i>roviding a jiroper curriculum for 
daily use. The schools of the Lake Wiuni])eg region 
are of this ty])e. At Norway House the Church of 
England maintains a school, and both Roman Cath- 
olics and tlie Church of Enghuid have schools at the 
mouth of the Saskatchewan River. These schools 
are on regular reserves, and are under the super- 
vision of the Indian agents. Text books and sup- 
]>lies are furnisiied by the government, and (juar- 
terly rejmrts are sent in by the teacher to both the 
Indian dejiartnicnt and the churcli. 

My first Indian scliool was on the Cross Lake 
Reserve, about sixty miles north of Norway House. 
A band of about four hundred Indians is located at 
this ])oint and both Roman Catholic and ^lethodist 
churches maintain missions and schools. I taught 
the Methodist school, and as the two schools were 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 23 

on 0])i)Osite sides of the lake, they were so situated 
as to contlict but little, since each received the jm- 
pils living nearest. My school-house was built of 
logs, mudded inside and outside, and fitted with 
some very rickety tables and benches. When five 
or six pupils were seated on one of these benches 
deeei)ly engaged in writing in their copy books, one 
would move slightly to seek a more comfortable 
position, and the whole bench would move, and a 
series of hieroglyphics would be the result. 

The sides of the school room were lined with 
boxes of biscuits, a variety of hard-tack. Each box 
contaiins about twenty-five ])0unds, and 1 had over 
eighteen hundred pounds of this biscuit in the 
school at one time. To me it is tasteless, but, my, 
how the little Indians love it! The government i)ro- 
vides that each pupil coming to school for the entire 
day may receive two biscuits at the noon hour ; and 
it is a merciful provision, for the majority would re- 
ceive nothing at all for dinner if biscuits were not 
distributed. As a means of increasing the school 
attendance they are also undoubtedly a success, for 
many come to school for their "biscuits" who wculd 
not come for the instruction. The hour for distrib- 
uting these dainties is perhaps the hai)piest hour 
of the day for both teacher and pu])ils. The eager, 
expectant look u])on the faces of the children is a 
])icture worthy of the i)encil of an artist. I would 
command them to sit erect with their hands ofl' the 
desks, and then would lay two biscuits on the toj. 
of the desk in front of each ]»upil. Sometimes a 
too eager pair of hands would grasp the precious bis- 
cuits before 1 had granted permission, but gener- 



24 GLIMrSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

ally all sat sikMitlv, after uttering the words, 
"thank you," until each had received his or her 
share, and at the word "stand" all stood erect for a 
moment, but when excused, twenty biscuits went 
to the moutiis of twenty little Indians in a jiffy. 
The freedom became hilarious and even the teacher 
was affected at times and was inclined to shout and 
make merry with the little Indians. 

After "biscuit time" perhaps the most interest- 
ing and enjoyable hour was the time for imparting 
"general knowledge" according to the jirogram 
furnished us by the Indian department. For this 
purpose, I devoted the first and the last fifteen min- 
utes of each session, and thus school began and 
ended with interest at its height. I would start 
briskly and rapidly ask questions — "Name the 
months of the year." "the days of the week," "count 
fifty in unison," "repeat the twenty-third Psalm," 
"the alphabet ;"and then a two minutes drill on 
colors would follow, when I would rapidly i)ick up 
differently colored pieces of chalk, and point out the 
colored articles in the room. They soon learned the 
names and colors of all the articles in the room and 
then I would bring my pockets full of small things 
to use in this exercise. Sometimes I would hold an 
article up and ask its name, and then, before they 
had time to answer, would quickly substitute 
another article and so the slow coming answer 
would be wrong and would illicit a shout of laugh- 
ter. When asked, "What is this thing made of?" 
they would generally reply, "wood," "stone" or 
"iron" as the case might be, but sometimes their 
answers came with hesitation, and I would assist 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTH LAM) 2n 

by sn.vin,£i, "Is it of wood?" and beinc; thus suji;p;ost(Ml 
would loply at ouco, "Yes, wood." ri»ou one occa- 
sion I ta|)j)ed with the i)ointfn' \i])on the head of a 
very didl boy and asked, "What is this made of. is 
it wood?" and they soh^ninly replied, "Yes, wood,"' 
but a moment after saw their mistake and cried 
"Xo, no," and burst into laughter. They could not 
tell me, however, of what the head was composed. 
and neither could their teacher, so the question was 
droi)ped. 

My predecessor, Mr. Joblin, of the Norway 
House Boarding S<-hool, tauj>ht the children to say, 
''Thank you," when receivinii; biscuits or any other 
gift or favor. One day a very small boy who had re- 
cently entered the school, upon receiving his bis- 
cuits was asked, "Now what do you say?" but he 
could not think of the English words, and so hestood 
for a moment looking blankly into Mr. Joblin's 
face, and then gravely responded, "Amen." He 
knew he must say something and that was the only 
English word he knew, and so he said it. A wise 
thing truly, esjiecially as it fitted the case exactly. 

The slips and mislakes of those learning another 
language are truly amusing, at least to the hearer, 
and if the sjteaker is not easily otfended, both par- 
ties may enjoy a hearty laugh. One of my pupils 
was a heavy, chunky, good-natured boy. smart in 
some ways, and dull in others, and afforded a vast 
amount of fun for the other children; yet he was 
never angry or i)ut out by their laughter. This boy 
was reading about .sheeji eating grass, and to teach 
him to ap])ly names to the proper objects, I sent him 
out to bring in sonx' grass. lie came in by and by 



26 GLIMPSP:S of the NORTHLAND 

with some j^rass and exiillaiitly handed it to me. 
As 1 took it 1 .said, "That is jiood, uow tell me what 
it is," and he i-ejilied, "monse,'' and of course this 
answer was greeted with laujjhter. We had killed a 
mouse in the school room, and in remembering the 
words "mouse" and "grass" he had hopelessly con- 
fused them. 

This same boy had a peculiar knack of picking 
up a few words of English and ajjplying tliem in the 
most ridiculous manner. He read in one of his read- 
ing lessons, ''O Lucy, see that little sheep," and soon 
that ex})ression became his war-cry. When ui)on 
the i>laygTOunds or at home, no matter whether 
working or placing, when least you expected it, he 
would cry out, ''O Lucy, see dat little sheep," and 
soon he set it to music, and at night-time his voice 
Avould come floating across the river singing, "O 
Lucy, see dat littles sheep." T didn't recognize the 
tune, but the words were familiar, and were sung 
with great strength, if not skill. Somehow, I took 
a great liking to this dull, good-natured boy. 

On dull days I would resort to other means to 
arouse an interest in school work. Sometimes I 
Avould ])erform simple feats of magic, and will never 
forget the oi»en-mouthed astonishment and wonder 
when I caused a coin to vanish from my extended 
hand and then to reappear in a boy's pocket. He 
carefully examined his pocket for some time to see 
if any more coins were to be produced, and failing 
to find any, he looked at me for a long time in a most 
confused manner, and when I had carefully picked 
a ten cent piece from the tip of a boy's nose, and a 
(]uarter from another boy's ear. they were fairly 



GLIMPSKS OF THE XOKTIILAND 



crazv to kuow how it was done, riobabiy the chil- 
dren will never understand fully how it was accom- 
plished. These tricks were performed during the 
last few minutes before closing; school, and thus in- 
terested the pupils and removed dullness. 

Among my other duties I found that I was ex 




A WINTER WIGWAM. 



l»ected tt> teach knitting, and a supply of wool. 
yarn and knitting needles was provided by the In 
dian department. This was beyond my ability and. 
as I was already living alone in the school-house 
and doing my own cooking, I thought it would be 
l.>etter to omit the knitting for a while and ]»erhai>s 
later join a sewing and knitting class, and take les- 
sons in embroidery, dishwashing, ironing, etc, and 
thus j>repare myself more fully for teaching an In 



28 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

(liap school. SomPhOAv, knitting did not appeal lo 
iiie as i)ec'uliaily a niasouline emplo3'ment. 

At God's Lake the work of teachinp; a school 
was of a different character. No missionary or 
teacher had been stationed there, and parents and 
children were alike totally ignorant of the nature 
of a school. I arrived at God's Lake in early Sej)- 
teniber and at once commenced work. The church 
was a slimsy structure, very cold, and the roof 
leaked so badly as to render it untenable in rainy 
weather. There were no desks, chairs or black- 
boards. A few books and slates I brought from Ox- 
ford House. A number of children were orphans. 
I plainly announced in the preceding Sabbath serv- 
ices that only children of school age, that is, from 
six to fourteen yeai"s, would be received, and that I 
did not conduct a nursery, nor did I want a wife, 
and therefore grown-ui) girls could not attend the 
school, for their sole object in coming was to im- 
press the school-teacher with their charms and 
thus win a husband if possible. 

At this new ]»lace I seized the first opportunity 
to impress the ])eople with the fact that attending 
school was a business, serious and solemn, and that 
the future of the child was determined largely by his 
school life. As a consequence 1 had a regular 
school attendance of twenty pupils, a very unusual 
thing in an Indian school, and all anxious to learn, 
and the ]»arents equally as anxious for their chil- 
dren to attend. On the day l)efore o])ening school, 
one of the Indians came to me and said that his lit- 
tle girl Avas not quite five years old, but asked me 
if T would take her on trial for a dav or two. I 



(j.iMi'SKs OK Tin-; XOUrill.AM* -JO 

knew the little daujihtei- 1o he verv l)i-i<>lit iiiid of 
more than ordinai-y iiitelli,iien(<'. and so readily 
granted the desired permission. He then asked me 
if I boarded the children in the church, and if 
they attended niiiht an<l day. A curious ((uestion. 
hut illustrative of the ignorance of the i)eoi)le in 
i-egard to school and church work. A few days 
after this two little girls came to school, neither of 
whom was i)ast the age of three years. On the fol- 
lowing Sabbath I announced that I could not re- 
ceive infants as school children, that they should 
stay at home to be cai-ed for by their mothers. 
(.'onse(juently one was kept at home, and the other 
was promjttly sent home and there was no further 
annoyance. The mothers wished to be rid of the en- 
tire family for a time, leaving her free to perform 
her household duties unmolested, and the school 
room was considered to be the proper repository 
for all such families. I allowed several children un- 
der school age to remain in school as they evinced 
considerable intelligence, and progressed even more 
rapidly than the older ones. 

The God's Lake children did remarkably well 
for 5'oungsters fresh from the wilds, with genera- 
tions, nay centuries, of ignorance and superstition 
permeating their entire being. The confinement of 
the school was irksome, and their restless disj)osi- 
tion added one more difficulty to the Avork of the 
teacher. I had no classes, but gave individual in- 
struction entirely. Text-books were little needed, 
or u.sed, but the slates were in constant requisition. 
No time or oi»i)ortunity was alVorded me during 
school hours to sit down foi- a moment. It required 



:t(t (;i,nipsi:s of tiik xoiitiilam) 

my entire stock of patience, the alertness of every 
sense, and the assistance of a kind, loving heavenly 
Father to interest and instruct this primitive 
school. 

I was deeply interested in the final outcome. 
It afforded a telling illusti^ation of the effect of 
confinement and mental drill upon an aboriginal 
intellect. English hymns were rapidly learned and 
it afforded me great satisfaction to hear the 
strains of ''Throw out the Life Line" and "God save 
The King'- wafted on the night wind from many an 
Indian wigwam denoting the presence of school chil- 
dren. And later, when visiting a distant hunting 
camp, I heard a little girl who had been to school 
but a short time raj)idly and correctly count up to 
one hundred, repeat the days of the week, the 
months of the year, and the al])habet, the list of 
colors, correctly answer my English salutation and 
sing two or three English Hymns. T became thor- 
oughly convinced of the mental capabilities of the 
Indian even when in a wild state. 

Both morning and afternoon sessions were 
short, about two and one-half hours each, and the 
interest never died for a moment. Each day I saw 
a definite advance, and took courage. In waiting 
and drawing the children were especially ai»t, and 
in a short time nearly all could write from a copy 
better than myself. In drawing I found that they 
had no sense of perspective whatever, size and form 
counting but little to them. What matter did it if 
the roof of a house was drawn on the end, the chim- 
ney on the bottom, with doors and windows scat- 
tered ]ironiis('UOusly all over the })lace. Such things 



CLnirsES OF the nok'jiii.am) .11 

were very small, indeed, to tlieiii, and of no impor- 
tance. The principal tliinji' was to have the house, 
the whole of it, represented on the slate somewhere. 
In the several different schools I found but one or 
two i)ui)ils that could follow me in a geometrical 
drawing, althoufih I chose simjtle designs, and took 
easy ste])S at a time, indicating each line and curve. 
Tt was well nigh imjiossihle to believe that the en- 
tangled maze of marks, scratches and blurs ujjon 
the slate was intended to rej»resent the accurate de- 
sign that I had drawn as a coi)y. But draw the 
sketch of a plant, a tree, or the conventionalized 
form of a leaf or flower, and it would be co])ied up- 
on the slate with suri)rising accuracy. They are at 
liome with this work. The children at Cross Lake 
were however, by far, the best at sketching, partic- 
ularly in sketching animals. At God's Lake and at 
Oxford House the most ridiculous figures of animals 
were drawn. A little girl at Oxford House drew 
for the representation of a deer's head a large circle 
for head, an inner circle, slightly smaller, for its 
eye, an isosceles triangle outside of the circle for 
its nose, and two straight marks for horns, and she 
was very well satisfied with her ''dear." This was 
a fair sample of animal sketching as done by the 
majority of Indian children, and is simi)ly a pro- 
/liulgation of the custom of ])icture writing by the 
Indians of long ago. 

As in all schools, a few forged ahead rai)idly 
At God's Lake one girl of twelve years or more 
learned so rai)idly that I had every ho])e that she 
would be able to read, write and s]»eak the English 
language in a year's time; but alas, how soon our 



■'11-' <;T.TMT'SKS Ol llli: Noinill.AM* 

hopes (Ipcny I At tlio end of three months I was 
ordered to Oxford House for the winter, the school 
was abandoned indefinitely; the little children of 
the wilderness were left once more in their ig- 
norance. 

At Oxford House I found things entirely differ- 
ent. This post boasted of a resident missionary for 
over eighty years, and of a regular day-school for 
many years, and most strenuously petitioned for a 
continuance of the same. And yet there was no 
school-house, and the church, furnished with two 
rickety tables and one weak chair, was in sad need 
of repairs. I searched diligently for school supplies 
and found but two or three ragged books, two slates, 
and one small blackboard. The attendance was very 
irregular, some days a number being present, and 
other days but two or three, and it was impossible 
to arouse interest or enthusiasm. Drawing some- 
times excited a passing interest, but it soon van- 
ished, and the continual routine of school work be- 
came monotonous. I think that any trader or white 
person of experience in the country will bear me out 
when I say that the majority of Indian parents ex- 
pect their children to learn in a few days or weeks 
all there is to be learned. Many of the Cree men and 
women learned to read and write their own language 
in a few days by the aid of the wonderful system 
of syllables invented by the Apostle of the North, 
James Evans, and they expect their children to 
learn as rapidly in English. An epidemic of scarlet 
fever obliged me to close both school and church 
for a number of weeks, and soon afterward an out- 
break of mumps in its most aggravated form 



ci.iMi'si'.s oi' I'lii; xni; riii,.\M» :::'. 

wroiiiilil liiivoc willi lli<> scliool nl (ondsinco. At both 
Cross Lake and Oxford House 1 conlinued (eacliiii};'. 
notwithstanding the majority of my pupils were suf- 
fering with tlie ninniiis. The schoolroom was a bet- 
ter place for them than their own filthy wigwam or 
cabin. Some were suffering terribly and unable 
to speak or eat. The swelling would burst in sev- 
eral places, and thus render the cases doubly dan- 
gerous in case of exposure or cold. At Cross Lake 
I had the mumps, presumably out of sympathy for 
the children, but although scarcely able to speak, 
I managed to continue my school work. 

I often call to memory incidents of school 
life among tlie little Indians. The wit and sharp- 
ness of the Cross Lake pui)ils, as well as their kind- 
ness, the brightness, enthusiasm and attention of 
the wild children at Cod's Lake, and the hard rou- 
tine of the Oxford school, all have their jtlace in my 
memory, and not among all the days spent in the 
Indian school-room can 1 recall a single unhap])y 
one. Some of my little ])upils have already jtassed 
froi*i earth's cold wilderness, and at Cross Lake 
their little forms rest 'neath the winter's snow and 
sunmier's flowers. Others have scattered North- 
ward and Eastward and dwell afar in the forest; 
but Trhcn the thrilling blast from God's trumpet 
sJia'.I sound T expect to be present at the reunion of 
my Indian sclioul children. 



IV. 
A TYPICAL CANOE TRIP. 

While in charge of Oxford House I received an 
urgent request from the Indian missionary at God's 
Lake to come at once and officiate at his marriage 
ceremony. Evidently he was sorely smitten and tins 
case was an urgent one, so without delay 1 made the 
necessary arrangements. 

God's Lake is a post of the Hudson's Bay Com- 
pany about eighty miles southeast of Oxford House. 
In the winter this distance is shortened to about 
forty-five miles by short cuts over portages and 
across frozen lakes. Being entirely off the routes of 
travel it is greatly isolated, and the Indians are 
more primitive and simple than those of other posts. 
The canoe route from Oxford House to God's Lake 
is a difficult one, made so by numerous portages, 
shallow rivers and large, windy lakes. 

At the time of receiving this request I x\as busily 
engaged in rebuilding the church and had a number 
of men at work. Although near the clojae of May, 
the lakes were still covered with ice and the rivers 
were but lately freed from their crystal covering. 
Men were scarce, traveling perilous, my work on the 
church important, but the request of my brother 
was not to be put aside. 

On May 25 at 11 :30 in the morning I started. 
There were no available men and so I considered 
mvself fortunate in securing the services of an In- 



cLnri'sKs or tin-: north land r.r, 

(lian by the name of Albert. This nuiii was at one 
time au exjuM-t boatman and gnide, but b.v reason of 
broken health and ohl a<;e his strength had hu'<Aely 
become weakness, and he eonld neither portage a 
good load nor ])addle with the strength of the ordi- 
nary canoeman. 

Albert possessed a very small Peterborough ca- 
noe of the racing style that had beeuset aside by the 
Hudson's liay Company's trader when it was no 
longer safe, and sold it to him. As it was very low 
in the water it could not stand rough weather as 
the birch bark canoes of the God's Lake Indians. 
We loaded about two hundred pounds of baggage 
into this little boat, and started across the lake 
back of Oxford House in the midst of a terrible 
squall of wind and snow. After crossing this lake 
our course lay down the Trout Kiver, a shallow 
stream, broken by a number of rapids and one large 
waterfall. Two of the Company's canoes were 
ahead, and by two o'clock we had crossed our first 
portage and caught up with them,. This ])ortaging 
]»resented unusual difficulties. Our canoe, although 
a small one. was water-soaked and consequently 
very heavy. Albert could not jjortage it alone, and 
T would not try, and so together we would carry it 
across the portages after fii-st transferiMng our 
loads. 

1 was in the bow and was not familiar with 
canoeing in rapid waters, and hence had frequent 
narrow esca])es from running on the rocks in the 
rapids. The day was bitterly cold, and frequent 
s<pialls of snow and sleet with high wind not only 
impeded our progress, but drenched us to the skin. 



3r. (;lk\ii'si:s of tiik xou tiilam* 

;ind so benumbed me witli llie cold that T conld 
scjircely hold my paddle. 

We passed Trout Falls in the midst of a heavy 
fall of rain and shortly after entered Knee Lake, so 
named from its siii>]»osed resemblanee in shape to 
the human knee. This lake is about sixty miles 
lonj; and of varying' width, dotted with beautiful 
islands. We camped on the shore of this lake, not 
far fi'om the mouth of the river, and a dreary camp 
it was. Everythinf> was wet, and we had no time to 
dry our elothinj* or beddinj*. During the night a 
light fall of snow covered us with a white blanket, 
and we awoke early to find another stormy day had 
dawned. Hastily eating our breakfast we stsirted. 
Our canoe leaked badly, and the first business at 
each stoi)ping i)lace was to unload and turn the ca- 
noe over to let the water run out, and then to search 
for new leaks, and stop them by api)lying the melted 
pitch from pine trees. The Indian's method of find- 
ing leaks was a novel one. ]>y running his mouth 
along the seams and strongly sucking at suspected 
])0ints he could easily locate the leak and determine 
its size by the amount of air he could suck through. 

Our food consisted of tea. without sugar, a few 
pounds of coarse Hour, and whatever game or fish 
we could kill by the way. Ducks were fairly i)len- 
tiful. but were wild and hard to shoot. Kabbits 
were numerous and we secured several. 

As we rapidly passed down the first ten miles 
or more of Knee Lake, during a lull in the storm, 
the sun came out in beauty to show in all its loveli- 
ness the scenery of the lake. Kut the situation 
soon changed, the sun became obscured by heavy. 



GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 




MKTHOmST CHUKCH AT GODS LAKE. 




A COD Six 



rjS GLIMPSES OP^ THE NORTHLAND 

tliieateuiiig clouds, and we found ourselves cut off 
by a solid field of ice extending entirely across the 
lake. By following a narrow crack close to the 
shore and by finally jjortaging across a rotten ice 
Hoe, we reached the clear water and paddled 
straight down the lake to the mouth of the Wolf 
River. For the remainder of the day frequent 
storms of great fury annoyed us and at times threat- 
ened to interrui)t our journey. 

At about two o'clock we left the twenty miles of 
Knee Lake behind us and started to ascend the Wolf 
River. At the very outset we were cut off by 
troublesome rapids and were obliged to make a 
half-mile portage. This rapids was disturbed by 
large numbers of suckers forcing their way upward 
to the still waters above. At the head of this rapids 
we found a fish-weir, or trap to catch fish. This 
is simjdy a chute made of poles, and so tilted that 
the current runs uj) the slide and then drops 
through betwen the poles ; not so the fish ; they are 
cari'ied uj) as far as the current goes and left on the 
poles, one or two cross sticks ]>reventing their re 
turn down the slide. This is an Indian contriv- 
ance, and as the stream is dammed at this place, 
and the slide is the only outlet, it prevents all fish 
from going up the stream, and catches all the fish 
coming down. Large numbers of suckers, ]»ickerel 
and wall-eyed }iike were seen in this trap and also 
large numbers in the water and along the shore in 
a state of decom])osition. 

Wolf River is about nine miles long and is very 
narrow and very crooked, flowing through a wilder- 
ness of swamps and dry sticks. Paddling rapidly 



GLIMPSES QV THE NOKTIILAXD 30 

tlii'oiigh this rivor wo ompi'f]jcd into a lako of about 
throe or four miles in diameter, which was still 
covered with ice. By skirting the shore we reached 
tlie mouth of another river, the Wolverine, similar 
to the Wolf, draining a similar country but more 
crooked and, in its uppei* courses, so very shallow 
as to greatly hinder navigation, even in em(i)ty ca-^ 
noes. Like the Wolf river, the Wolverine ends its 
nine or ten miles course in a stony rapids, which 
comjielled us to portage. We camped on this 
portage the second night. Rabbits were plentiful 
here, and the rapids teeming with suckers attempt- 
ing to force a passage to the river above. At this 
camp I made an attempt at drying my clothing and 
my single blanket. The nights were too short, how- 
ever, and it was ten o'clock by the time we ate our 
supper. 

We were off early in the morning and ])assed 
through the Wolverine with nothing of im])ortance 
to break the monotony of the very crooked river, 
and at nine o'clock reached Mossy Lake, which is 
about ten miles in length. Tt was also covered with 
ice, and we made a wide detour. 

We now reached the most diflScult part of our 
journey, the dreaded ]Mossy I'ortage. This portage 
is two miles in length, and of such a boggy nature 
that for a considerable i)art of the way the men 
would sink to their knees in slimy nijud at almost 
every step, and frecpiently to their waists. Tt 
has caused the breakdown of many a robust boat- 
man, and during the summer of 1904 T ])assed three 
men at one time lying on this ])ortage with ruptured 
lungs, bleedini* from mouth and nostrils. The loads 



40 GLIMTSKS OF THE NORTHLAND 

are so lieavy and footinii" so jirecarions that in many 
instances a fall is inevitable, and in falling with a 
two hnndi-ed i»onnd load on his back, the man is 
sei-ionsly injured. Many strong men have been min- 
ed for life on the famous flossy Portage. I cannot 
look upon its gloomy expanse without thinking of 
the broken lives of Ihese bcuitmen. 

Alltcrt and I ujion reaching this portage, bar- 
gained with one of the Company's canoe men to por- 
tage our canoe while we carried a i)ortion of his 
load, and in this way, we finally crossed the cruel 
swamp and ate dinner on the shore of God's Lake. 
The portage was much better for portaging in the 
previous year on account of low water. Usually 
for nearly two-thirds of the distance an empty canoe 
can Im? pulled through the swamps in the shallow 
surface water, but at this time there Avas not suf- 
ficient water and the canoes had to be carried. 

God's Lake was solid with ice and we were 
obliged to follow the much indented s!.ore through 
a narrow canal of slrilliAV water. \\'Iien within 
about eight miles of God's Lake post a large bay 
four or five miles in width had to be crossed. We 
discovered an ice crack that ai)parently extended 
clear across the bay and after much deliberation 
we decided to ex])lore^this craf'i; rather than (o go 
around, i distance of ten or fifteen miles. Accord- 
ingly we jiaddled doAvn the ever-narrowing chan- 
nel until within a few hundred yards of open water 
on the other side when the crack suddenly ternii 
nated. We looked foolish for a moment, but the 
Northern tri}>]»er is full of resources, and so without 
further hesitation we jumjied (uito the quaking ice, 



GLIMPSES OF TIIK XOItTIILANI ) 41 

carried our loads and canoes across and re-embarkod 
in open water on the other side. I must confess 
that to nie tliis was very nervous work. To carry a 
heavy load over ice that is liable to drop one into a 
cold, watery abyss forty feet deej). recpiires strong,' 
nerves and jireat presence of mind. 

^^'e reached (Jod's Lake Mission in the eveninjj; 
a1 eij;ht o*clo<-k and were welcomed by Pi'ederi<-k 
Apeta}»un, the native missionary, who had been 
eagerly awaitinj^ our arrival. A sujijter of baked or 
roasted whitefish followinji a luxurious wash in 
the frying ]»an, and 1 curled uj) in my rabbit-robe. 
and lay down upon the floor to sleej). 

As the next day was Sunday, and as I had no in- 
ter[)reter, 1 listened to two sermons in the Cree by 
the Indian missionary, ]»rea(hed to uiy former con- 
gregation. 

On ^londay at ten o'clock the important cere 
mouy took place. Frederick, leading his blusliiug 
bi-ide. was folloAved by bridesmaid and groomsman, 
and the church was rai)idly tilled with Indians, all 
attired in holiday costumes of extensive variety in 
style, shajie, color and antiquity. 1 read tlie serv- 
ice in English and asked the questions in Cree. 
Ujwn being pronounced husband and wife the groom 
gallantly kissed his br'de. and his examjile was fol- 
lowed by many in the congregation. We then ad- 
journed to the o] en mIi- where several salutes were 
fired from a dozen old muzzle-loading guns. As T 
had my automatic rej eating shotgun with me I was 
invited to assist n the saluting. T fired five shots 
rai)idly by simply pulling the trigger, and for :i 
moment the onhMikcrs were ;ist<r,inde!l. After 



42 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

a few minutes of wonder they expressed a desire 
to see me "do it again," and so I fired another five 
sliots and this ended the saluting. I then photo- 
graphed the congregation, and at the request of the 
newly married couple I i)hotographed them at the 
door of their tent, but as thev insisted upon being 
taken directly in front of the tent, and as the sun 
shone straight into the lens, the photo was of course 
a failure. 

The Com])any's canoes were to return empty 
on Tuesday, but I was anxious to start on Monday 
so as to cross the INIossy Portage before they aiTived. 
As we had a load, I feared we could not keep up with 
the stalwart canoemen in light canoes. But they 
gallantly came to the rescue and offered to help 
us across the portages if we would wait until Tues- 
day and go with them. Accordingly we waited and 
I spent ]Monday afternoon in taking photographs. 

God's Lake is a large, clear body of water, fully 
one hundred miles in length, varying in width from 
fourteen to forty miles. The shores are very rocky 
and the winters are long and very cold. This lake 
remains fi'ozen until late in June. 

I was stationed at God's Lake for several 
months and I thoroughly enjoyed myself while there 
The i)0st and church are situated on a peninsula 
that lacks but little of being an island. The entire 
neighborhood is a network of waterways, islands, 
capes and i)eninsulas. Small game is plentiful and 
T have shot as many as twenty rabbits and twenty 
five ])artridgos in one day. 

The Indians are of Ihe Salteaux tribe of the 
Ojibway nation and si)e;ik ;i peculiar diiiloct similar 



GLIMrSES OF THE NOKTIILAND 



43 



to botli Oee and Ojibway. Tlipy are nomadic to 
a marked degree and but few make their periiianent 
home at the i)ost. These are generally widows and 
orphans. A few little log houses are scattered 
about, and are occcupied only in the winter. The 
people are too restless to use houses. At times the 
lake shore is dotted \\ itli iiictiir('s<nio Miii\\;iiiis .-nul 




A SUMMER CAMr AT (lODS LAKE. 



perhaps within the short space of twenty-four hours 
not one remains, and not a single individual gives 
life to the dreary village of bare poles. 

For two weeks in the fall I made my home with 
a party of trappers on Swan Lake, about twenty-tive 
miles northeast from God's Lake in the depth of 
the forest. Wo lived in a wigwam of poles, chinked 
with moss. The days were spent afar in the forests 
in the haunts of the wild animals, for there we set 



44 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

our trai)S and captured the "iame. The eveninos 
were sjient in the wigwam around the clieerful camp- 
tire, and while the trees were cracking with the 
frost and the miolity lake was booming like the 
noise of distant thunder, we dwelt secure within tlie 
little teepee (thirteen of us) and night and mornm^ 
meekly bowed in prayer and sang hymns of praise to 
our Redeemer. 

I reluctantly bade farewell to God's Lake, for I 
loved it quiet bays, its forest-clad islands and its 
dusky inhabitants, and my heart grew sick with 
longing when I thought of the souls for whom Christ 
died, left here in ignorance and nature's darkness. 

On Tuesday morning at about three o'clock we 
started on our return trip, with the other canoes 
well in advance. The ice had drifted into the shore 
at one jmint and we were obliged to follow ice 
cracks well out into the lake until we reached flossy 
Portage and caught up to the canoes. Portaging 
the canoes was very ditlicult work, as a high wind 
was blowing, and the canoes, carried in an invei-ted 
position on a man's shoulders. })resented a large sur- 
face to the wind, and so could not be kept in the 
j)roi)er position for carrying. In spite of ditticulties 
and heavy loads, we successfully crossed Mossy 
Portage by noon and ate dinner on an island in 
Mossy Lake. 

Wo found nearly all the lakes now free from 
pack ice and were easily able to avoid the drift ice. 
and thus by keeping a straight course were able to 
reduce the former one hundred miles to about 
eiglity-five miles in returning. We made several 
portages to cut oil' bends in the rivers, and at night 



<;i.iMi'SKs OF 'liii: .\»>irrm.AM» i." 

camped at the foot of the rapids on Wolf Iviv<'r 
Mitliiu sijilit of Knoo Lake. 

I)ui-in«i- tlie nijiht a slunver of laiu fell, and 
Wednesday dawned dull and eold. Although liav- 
inj;- slept but little we were off at three o'clock in 
the niorninj; and made the twenty miles on Knee 
Lake by ten o'clock. stop]>;nj> once to make tea. Al- 
bert and I reached the river tirst, but at Trout Falls 
the canoes forged ahead and soon left us. 

We now had to ascend the raj»id Trout River 
against a stormy head wind, and found it very ditti- 
cult work. We however arrived at the hU^e back 
of Oxford House with the other canoes, and landed 
there, portaging our loads across to the mission 
about one mile distant. We made the return trij) 
in two days easily. 

During this journey I was constantly wet and 
cold, with a wet blanket for covering, and the wet 
ground for a bed. Tonsidering this, it is no Avonder 
that on the return trip I suffered greatly from my 
old enemy, the cataiTh. Upon my arrival at Oxford 
House. T was sj)itting blood, my head was ringing, 
my hearing was affected, and 1 was in a dila]>idated 
condition generally. 

This canoeing amid great exposure and danger, 
doing your half of the paddling, portaging and cam]> 
work, is more romantic when described upon paper 
than when ex])erienced amid ice floes, rajtids and 
stormy weather. 

This is only (me of my canoe ti-ijis and gives but 
a faint idea of one (»f our regulai- methods of travel 
in the Northern wilderness. 



V. 
ODDS AND ENDS. 

DOGS AND DOG-DRIVING. 

The Indian dog has become a mongrel. The 
blood of a dozen different breeds Hows in his veins. 
The best dogs are used by traders. They are long 
limbed, and long-haired, usually suspicious of 
strangers, often vicious, but capable of enduring an 
untold amount of exposure, starvation and hard 
work. 

The Eskimo dog is very closely allied to the violf 
in nature, and is treacherous and vicious. An 
Eskimo dog that has once tasted human blood must 
be killed at once, for all in the neighborhood will 
be in danger as long as it lives. These dogs are 
sometimes pure white, sometimes pure black, but 
more often they are both black and white, or a silver 
gray. They are slow, steady, hard-pulling dogs, and 
will stand a great deal of abuse as well as hard 
work. 

The harness is made of either moose skin, cow- 
hide, canvas or walrus hide; and is composed of 
three parts : the collar, backpad, including girth, 
and the traces. As the dogs are driven in tandem 
style, with either four or five dogs to a team, the 
traces of each of the rear four dogs are five and one 
half feet in length ; and the traces of the leader are 
usually six and one-half feet in length. 



(;i,I.MI'SES OF THE X()KTrir-A.\r> 




IX ciJMi'SKs oF'i'Hi: Noirriii-AXD 

Tlie <>i-(liii;irv ll;i( s1(m1 is Iwclvc feel loiiji, sixtooii 
or eigliteen iuclies wide, fitted with loops on eitlier 
side for lacinj;, Jiiid curled np at the front end in 
order to jnni]» over obstructions. 

A cariole is made of stiff boards and is usually 
wider than the freight sled. It has canvas or parch- 
nxent sides and wooden back, and is a very comfort- 
able means of conveyance for trader or missionary. 

The doos are driven by word of command, and 
a heavy whip is commonly employed to enforce these 
commands. An ordinary day's trip on the lake is 
from forty to sixty miles, and in the woods from 
twenty-five to forty miles. When traveling with a 
load the driver is obliged to go on foot, and T 
have traveled hundreds of miles in this manner. 

Our dogs thrive and grow fat upon a diet of 
deliciously flavored whltefish. Each dog at the close 
of the day's work receives two fish ; to feed them 
oftener than this would render them lazy and unfit 
for work. When not working one fish is sufficient ; 
and frequently an Indian will allow his dogs to fast 
for days at a time. 

CANOES AND CANOEING. 

The birch-bark canoe is the Indian's exclusive 
property. He is the inventor, builder and owner. 
There is a great difference in bark canoes. The ones 
at Cross Lake and Norway House are light and 
graceful, built especially for rai)id traveling on 
rivers and small lakes. They are not able to stand 
heavy seas and so are not used on the large lakes. 
Those built by the God's Lake and Oxford House 
Indians are larger and heavier, with ends higher out 



(;i-i.Mi'si;s OF THK noktiilam* r.i 

of the watoi', ninl tlms inv fit tod for lii<ili sons juid 
strong winds. 

Getting in and out of a canoe is a dangerous ex- 
])erinient for the novice, for the canoes are so frail 
and so bnoyant that great care must be exercised in 
handling them. Short i)addles are used and the 
canoe can not be beached; it must be carefully 
brought to the shore and emptied of its contents 
while still in the water. 

On the long trips a load of from two hundred to 
a thousand pounds is taken, depending upon the size 
of the boat. Whenever an extra dangerous rapids 
or waterfall is reached, the load is taken out and 
carried across, and the canoe is borne on men's 
shoulders and reloaded on the other side. Many 
dangerous rapids may be safely run if experienced 
canoe men are employed, but it is a nerve racking 
exi>erience. A very slight accident will break the 
frail sides or bottom, and great caution is necessary 
when traveling among rocks. 

These canoes can be paddled through the water 
with great rapidity and many moose, deer and bear 
are overtaken in the water and slain by Indians in 
their birch-bark canoes. 

Cedar and basswood canoes are now being used 
extensively by traders and missionaries as they are 
larger and have greater carrying capacity, a canoe 
hold'ng twenty-five hundred pounds being manned 
by but two Indians. 

voiuc r.oATiNc;. 

These cumbersome l)oats are built of heavy tim- 
bers, and when conipleted are of several tons' we ght. 



no 



(JLIMPSES OF THE XOHTITI.AXl) 




(;i,l.\irsKS OF 'PIIK NOinilLAXl) ."I 

witli n mpnfity of fivo tons and a vrew of nine Tii 
(lians, oij^lit bein^' oai-sni^t^n and one stocrsnian, <»r 
captain. Great oars are used to ])ro])el tliis Iiea\.\ 
craft and lonj;- ropes are used to ]tnll or "track" il 
uj) the rapids. In some ])laces even this boat has 1o 
be portaj»ed over a divide or ]»ast a waterfall or 
rajjids. 

Wlien a portage is reached the men quickly lie 
their cari'ving straps to their loads, the cajttain 
loads each man with two i)ieces of one huudi-ed 
pounds each, and he starts on a trot across the 
portage. He deposits his load on the far side of the 
])ortage and detaching his strap, runs rapidly back 
for another load. This is repeated until the entire 
boat load is carried over, when the York boat 
is carefully lowered through the rapids, and (piickly 
reloaded. This work is done with such rapidity that 
to the observer it seems impossible. Sometimes dur- 
ing a day's travel there may be fully a do/.en of these 
portages, and estimating the boat contents to be one 
hundred sacks of flour, each man Avould carry an 
average of one hundred and sixty -two sacks of Hour, 
a distance ranging from ten rods to one mile, in ad- 
dition to manning the loaded boat in still water and 
the emi)ty boat in rapid water, and doing his own 
cooking and camp work. This is the hardest work 
a man can find to do and very few are able to stand 
it for more than five or ten seasons at the most. 
Sooner or later they are injured and join the army 
of wrecked men to be found at the trading posts. 

INSECT PESTS OF TIIK sr'M MKR-TI M H 

Although the winter season is of long duration. 



."i> (;I.nI^^^^:s or Tin: xoirriiLAXD 

yet July is hot and disagTeeable. In many locali- 
ties great SAvarnis of mosqiiitos, sand-flies, bush-flies, 
hull-doos and other pests "fill the air. and darken 
heaven and curse this Northern land." At such 
times a gauze head-net is an absolute necessity. 
The air is actually darkened in ]»laces, and the 
sound is almost deafening. 

The large bush-flies, commonly called '•bull- 
dogs," are a dangerous enemy to domestic animals, 
and even the deer running wild in the forest are 
forced to take refuge in the water. Sometimes a 
deer, made CTazy by the attacks of these flies. Avill 
rush madly through the cami)-fire in its attemi)ts to 
reach the water. Deerskin at this time of year is 
l)erforated with holes and useless as leather. The 
flesh is also unfit for food owing to the worry and 
suff'ering of the deer. The flies eat through the hide 
and deposit their eggs in the flesh ; and thus render 
the poor animal nearly frantic with pain. 

LANGUA(}E AND INTERPRETERS. 

The Cree language has three slightly varying 
forms, the Plams, or ])ure Cree. the Woods Cree and 
the Swami)y Cree. The latter is the language of 
the Indians u])on my mission field. 

The Cree language is not only beautiful but sym 
metrical, showing a high degree of intelligence 
among the Indians at some time in the past. It has 
eleven conjugations and is agglutinative. — a language 
of the verb. Learning it is slow work and it 
recjuires years of patient ett'ort to l»ecome sufficient- 
Iv familiar with its forms to be able to jn-eacli a 



(iLIMPSKS OF TIIK NOKTIILAXD ."3 

]>rnct cal soi-mon in Cveo. In tlie nienntinie an in- 
tor|>rotoi' must he enijiloyod, and <»<)od interprotoi-s 
arc in demand. 

A\'li(Mi Kcv. ^Ii'. Ste\('ns was missionarv at Ox- 
fold House, he wished his intei'i)i'eter to render in 
('ree these words, ''The seed that the ai)Ostles sowed 
took root." The interpreter rendered it thus, "I 
saw the a{)ostles and they had long roots.'' His 
English for "saw" was "seed," and thus the mistake 
was made. 

My interpreter could not interpret the hours of 
the day. nor numbers above eight or ten ; and so 
"The twelve a])ostles'' became in Cree, "The many 
a]»ostles;" mistakes of this kind rendered it neces- 
sary for me to be very careful in })reaching. 

Hi translating the Scrijitures there were unusual 
difficulties in the way. "Crown" was rendered 
*'hat;" "chariot," "dogsled ;" and other exju-essions 
were rendered in the best manner ])Ossil)]e. 

Being an American. T was called by the hidians. 
''Keeche mokiman." or "the long knife." This term 
was a])i>]ied to the early American traders, and still 
serves as a mark to distinguish them from other 
nationalities. A missionary is an "ayuni ehayweke- 
mow." or ]>raying man. A school teacher is termed 
''kisskenohomatowekemow." The cardinal numbers 
are "Payuk, neso. neslo. iiayo. nealmun. nekwotwa- 
sik. tay]»:ikupt. ahyoeiiahuayoo. kaykat melahtut 
and metahtut. 

no.MKSTir 1.1 FK. 

In his iiatixc state it is custniiuii-.N for a man to 
have two or more wives; and when i-eceiving vis 



n4 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

itors each wife is assigned to her proper place, the 
first or the favorite wife being stationed nearest the 
luisband. 

Tn former times the lot of women was a hard 
one, and abuse and hard work were her daily por- 
tion. Thanks to the glorions light of the gospel that 
now shines in the darkened wigwams of the North- 
land, polygamy is banished and woman is gradually 
taking her place as the hel])-meet — not the slave — 
of man. I constantly urged the women to pray in 
])ublic. and so take part in the services. I finally 
succeeded, to the sur])rise of all. 

Indian parents are very affectionate; and ])as- 
sionate grief is manifested at the death of a child. 
While love sliows itself in many ways, yet the test of 
love, the very essence of affection, is evidenced by 
the conscientious training of the child by parents. 
"Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth ;" and this 
])rincii)le may be a]>i»lied to ])arents with reference 
to their children. Indian ])arents seldom punish 
their children unless acting under the influence of 
unreasoning anger. Hence tlie child becomes the 
master and grows uj) without love for ])arents or 
home. 

Sometimes an Indian marries for love, but more 
often for convenience or for fancy. Many of the 
young women and young men are handsome and 
well formed. A ]»eculiar flirtation is carried on by 
the Indian belles. With shawls covering their heads 
and faces they await tlie coming of a possible vie- 
fim : then pnrtially Avithdrawing the shawl from the 
face, a smile is disclosed that ''will not come off," 
and n ])air of gonuiuo "goo goo." or supposedly bo 



GLIMl'SES OF THE -NUKTIILAXD 55 

Avitoliino- eyes, are seen in motion ; tlie shawl is 
(Innvn back to its place and the swain is supposed 
to be captured for life. 1 have noticed a similar 
method employed by our American maidens. 

The staple article of food for an Indian is tish 
the year round. Whitefish is the best, but when 
whitefish cannot be obtained, ]>ickerel, suckers and 
lake trout are used. This diet is varied by game of 
different descriptions, and moose and deer meat, and 
the tlesh of the beaver, lynx, rabbit, muskrat, wood- 
chuck, bear, skunk, owl, hawk, partridge, crow, gull 
and other birds and animals is often used to keep 
starvation away. I have partaken of all of the above 
excej)ting the flesh of the hawk and crow. In cases 
of absolute necessity the fiesh of the mink, otter, 
martin and fisher is eaten. 

Whenever possible the Indian secures a small 
quantity of flour, tea, bacon, tobacco and sugar from 
the trader, but these with the exce])tion of tea and 
tobacco are considered luxuries beyond their 
reach. 

Indian bread is made by mixing flour and water, 
and baking before a slow fire in a frying pan, or on 
a forked or crooked stick. AA'hen procurable, a little 
baking soda and fish oil is added. 

For lights in the long winter's evenings, the In- 
dian uses fish oil lamps, or candles, when be can 
get them. 

Spare moments at home in tlu^ wigwam, and 
often when traveling, are used by the women in 
working beautiful embroidei-y on deer skin. In 
most of this work the buttonhole stitch is used. 



r.a (JMMl'SES OF THE NORTHLAND 

altlioujih often the chaiu stitch and otliei- forms of 
(Miil)roid(M-v may be seeu among them. 

HUNTING AND TRAPPING. 

The Cree and Salteaux Indian is a hunter by 
birth and occupation. Generations of training have 
rendered the hunter's instinct remarkably strong 
within him. In certain localities near all of the 
posts great numbers of rabbits and partridges are 
killed. The rabbits are eaten and their skins are 
made into downy robes, the bedding of the North. 
Sometimes between six and seven hundred rabbit 
skins are used in making one robe. The i)artridges 
are of several \arieties, the rulfed grouse, the ]>iii- 
nated grouse or ]>i-airie chicken, the sj»ruce part- 
ridge and the ptarmigan. In fall and springtime 
ducks are fairly numerous, and geese and swans are 
occasionally seen. 

Large game is becoming scarce. INIany moose are 
killed between Oxford House and Norway House, 
and some few deer are shot in the vicinity of Island 
Lake, Cross Lake and Norway House, and occasion- 
ally one at Oxford House and God's Lake. IMost of 
the deerskin for silk work or other use is brought 
from York Factory and is the hide of the cariboo or 
reindeer. 

A moose hunt is a serious affair. The trail of a 
moose may be followed for days, and when night 
comes on no fire may be lighted. The food must be 
eaten in a frozen condition, and the weary hunters 
must lie down in their icy clothing and Avear away 
the long hours of darkness. The moose is of very 



OMMI'SKS OF TIIIO \OKTIILAM) r,7 

koeii seen! Jiiid no siuoko must sully tlio clpar iit- 
nu)si»hoi'o widiiii the radius of several miles or Mr. 
Moose will make tracks for another eounti-.v. I're- 
(jueutly in the summer moose and deer are over 
taken and killed in the waler to which they have re- 
sorted to escape the myriads of flies and mosquitos. 
^Mooseskin and deerskin is used for moccasins and 
gloves; the Hesh is used for food, the sinews for 
thread, the bladder and airsack for dishes in which 
to carry fish-oil, and even the hoofs and horns are 
burned and then eaten. Thus nothing goes to waste. 

The work of the Indian is to trap or shoot such 
animals as are valuable for their fur. and to prop- 
erly prei)are Ihis fm- for the market. So with a i)ack 
u])on his back he starts off for a distant hunting- 
ground, i-eiurniug after numy days, bronzed by ex- 
posure to storm, often worn to a skeleton by starva- 
tion, but usually bringing with him a pack of valu- 
able furs. In the depths of the forests he sets his 
lynx snares. Along the streams he arranges his 
deadfalls, and on the indented shores of the lakes 
he leaves his fox traj>s. 

Several varieties of the fox are obtained from 
this country. The red and cross foxes are the most 
numerous, but a few Ijlack. white and silver foxes 
are annually taken. Mink, muskrat. beaver, lynx, 
otter, ermine and martin are (piite ])lentiful and a 
few fisher, wolverine, skunk and wolf skins are also 
brought in. The life of Ihe trapper is a precarious 
one and often the catch of fur is small. 

TKirs alonp:. 
During Ihe <'j)idemic of scai-lel fever at Oxford 



58 GLIMPSES OF THE NORTHLAND 

House, Mhile scliool and church were closed to pre- 
serve quarantine rejiuhitions, I made several trips 
down the old Deer's Lake trail in the direcition of 
Hudson's Bay. I went alone, dragging a small sled 
containing my bedding, cooking utensils, gun, traps, 
etc. On these journey's I became accustomed to the 
silence of the Korthern woods. I loved to be alone 
with nature and with nature's God. Frequently 
when many miles from home and a cold, stormy 
night coming on, I have felt a dread creeping over 
me and became fearful that I might not be able to 
find dry wood to build a fire, or fearful lest the new 
snowfall might obscure the trail ; for to be lost in 
the Northern wilderness is to meet a fate worse than 
death. But when the glorious beams of the morn- 
ing's sun lighted lake and forest, and all nature 
seemed to smile with joy as it wakened into life. 
I cried," Away with melancholy, for God still lives." 

During the latter part of ]March I went to God's 
Lake alone, drawing a sled the entire distance of 
forty-five miles and return. My load weighed over 
one hundred and fifty i)Ounds, and at least one-half 
the distance was across barren })ortages where the 
snow had been blown from the trail, leaving bare 
gi'ound over which to haul my loaded sled. The 
trip was accomi)lished in four days, spending one 
day at God's Lake, thus making the distance of 
over ninety miles in three days, with my heavy load. 
T camj)ed alone in the forest, taking photogi'aphs en- 
route. TT])On my return the trader remarked how 
much better and healthier I looked after making 
this journey. 

While at Norwav House it became necessary for 



GLIMPSES OF THE NOHTIILANn r,U 

iiie tt) go to Warreu's Landiii}^, a distance of twentv 
five miles. As I could not secure an Indian s'^'t^*'. ' 
harnessed my dogs and started alone in the midst 
of a heavy snow storm. 1 had been over this road 
but once before, and that once in a cariole, well cov 
red with rabbit robes, and of course had not ob 
served the landmarks along the way. I was sol- 




BETUBNING FROM A TKIP ALONE. 



emnly warned l»y both traders and missionaries not 
to make this tri]) alone; but men were scarce and 
the circumstances were pressing, so I heeded not tli<' 
warnings, but started. Without difticulty I found 
the trail and reached Warren's ]>anding in a siiori 
time. The next day the storm became a howling 
blizzard and as I headed my <logs for Norway llo\isc 
in the teeth of this gah' 1 saw strong doubt ami 
anxiety ujion the faces of those I left beiiind. f<»r I 



60 (JLLAirSES OF THE NOKTIILAXD 

bad a load of over four hundred ]»onnds and the 
trails Avere blown full of snow. At one o'clock I 
shouted "Marche, Bob" to my leader and the four 
noble brutes tujiged at their collars. For hours we 
faced the blizzard, the doos }>ulling hard, their 
tongues hanging from their mouths and their eyes 
constantly blinking as the icy particles sti'uck them 
in the face. I ]>]ied my whip continually, and shout- 
ed until I was hoarse ; but of no avail ; my dogs were 
overloaded and night was ui)on us with fifteen miles 
of dreary swamp yet before us. As we entered this 
region I felt as though the motto Avere engraved u]»- 
on the dwarfed ]);ne trees, "Leave all hope ye who 
enter liere;'' for not a sign of a road could be seen; 
all lay in dreary sameness before us, as the snow 
Avhirling in mid-air formed si)ectral sha]>es in the 
semi-darkness. 

To add to the dangers my dogs began to give 
out and would lie down. This rendered it necessary 
to i)ly the wliii) even more cruelly. How hard it 
seemed to thus Avhij) the poor dogs when I knew 
that they were doing their very best, and it was 
with almost tearful eyes and des]»airing heart that T 
rained blow after blow u]»on the quivering sides of 
my Eskimo sled dog. He was only ten months old. 
and was tired. He had yet to learn that sled dogs' 
must pull hard, even when ready to droj) with ex- 
haustion. Time after time T whipi)ed him U]» when 
he had fallen in the snow. It was only by dint of 
laborious eilort that I was able to keep on my feet, 
for T was tired and slee])y. How inviting the fresh 
ly fallen snow appeared, and how T longed to throw 
myself upon its snowy bosom and rest — sleep and 



(;i.i.Mi'si;s Of I'lii: nouihi.am* ci 

(h-eain of tlowery fields nnd breezes laden willi 
the scent (if new mown liiiv. T.iit still the snow- 
drifted and the wnd moaned anions the tr(M' tojis. 
y\\ do<;s had ceased to cry ont al the criiel lasliiiiii 
and the dull blows of the whi|t and the hoarse words 
of command seemed out of liai-mouy with the weir<l 
sounds of natui-e. 

Abandonin<i all hojie of Ueejtino' the trail by my 
own knowledge of it. 1 depended solely ujion tin' 
sajiacity of my leader, a majiniticient black doji of 
more than ordinary intellijicnce. At ten o'clock we 
slowly toiled up the hill to the mission gate, and 
lirother Lousley appeared bringing a lantern. \\'<' 
unhitched and fed the dogs; and bidding farewell to 
all out of do(u-s, we entered the mission house. 

For miles that noble leader had kejit the trail in 
the darkness and storm. And when the lights from 
Fudian wigwams Hashed from both sides of the river, 
and when freshly made trails led off to the right au<l 
to the left, he had kejjt steadily on. Mr. McTavish. 
the Hudson's Kay Company's factor, told me after- 
ward that I had de[iended entirely too much on my 
leader, and that he was an exceptionally faithful 
dog, for even the best leaders will turn otf on the 
first trail leading to a house, and ai-e not to be relied 
upon in a region of diverging roads. 

Sad to relate this was my last journey in com- 
I)any with my noble dogs. The day following they 
were taken very sick and when T returned to Oxford 
House T was «»b!ig(Ml to leave them behind me. 

•rilK I'ltKSKN'l- NKKU. 

Thoniiii the Indian may be ungrateful, full ui" 



C.L' (JMMI'SES or THE NOKTMl.A.Xl) 

superstition, ignorant, filthy and immoral, yet 
Christ died for the ungodly and the gospel is for the 
Indian as well as for the white man. 

The Northland needs consecrated men and 
women to serve as missionaries. It especially needs 
strong young men, physically, mentally and morally, 
full of faith in God. Funds are needed to carry on 
the work. Legislation is needed to protect the In- 
dian from unscrupulous white men ; and at present 
to lift him from his ])Osition as a ward of the gov- 
ernment to the freedom of a citizen. And above all 
the rest, the great Northland needs the prayers of 
God's church in behalf of her Red Men. 

MEDITATION. 

While walking alone on the shore of God's Lake 
one day in the fall, a feeling of peculiar loneliness 
came upon me. I felt that God's great Northland 
with its tribes of Red Men had been neglected; T 
felt that the fields were white, ready for the harvest, 
and that laborers were indeed few. I was alone and 
<-ould speak scarcely a word of the Tree language, 
with no one within sixty miles speaking the Eng- 
lish; the long Northern winter was about to settle 
down upon us, and with my heart full of such 
thoughts, I wrote the following lines of verse. They 
have been kept from even my nearest friends until 
now, and only the possibility of their accomplishing 
some good, induces me to allow them to come before 
the public at this time. 



(;Li.\irsi;s of 'I'lii: nou'I'iii.aM) 

A CRY FROM THE NORTHLAND. 



To the far, far North 

Where the wild storms sweep, 
And the gaunt pine trees 

In loneliness weep ; 
In fetters of ice and dungeon of snow : 
In thraldom of cold where howling wauls blow : — 
There, there let me go, 

I>et me haste to that land 
AVith the blest word of life 

At my Savior's conunand. 

For there in the chill 

'Neath the cold Northern Lights, 
Dwells a suffering race 

Who have God-given rights : 
Tho' neglected, forsaken, forgotten, well-nigh. 
They cry for the gospel ; then despairing, they die : 
With that cry on their lii)s 

They are laid 'neath the sod ; 
And tlieir blood is on you. 

Oh, ye Church of our (Jod I 

By your hearths, warm and bright, 

In a God-favored land 
You linger at home 

Despite (iod's command, — 
Go ye forth to all lands: in my name ye shall go: 
And here j'e are lingering: why is it so? 
Oh ! Church of our God, 

Ilark ye to the cry 
Of the lost Indian race 

As they suft"cr and die! 

The centuries roll 

And time flies apace : 
The church pays scaTit heal 

To this suffering race : — 



NOV 2 1905 



fit (:limi'si:s oi" riii: xoirriii.AXi) 

She is huildiiifi tine cliuivlies. and training her choir 
Her preaeliers and singers are working for hire; 
No time for tlie heatlien : 

No funds to hestow. 
To save poor lost sinners ; 

Say Is it not so? 

But there in the chill 

"Neath the cold Northern Lights, 
Dwells a suiifering race 

Who have God-given rights ; — 
Tho' neglected, forsaken, forgotten, well-nigh, 
They cry for the gospel : then despairing they die : 
With that cry on their lips 

They are laid 'neath the sod ; 
And their blood is on you. 

Oh, ye Church of our God ! 



LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 

111 mil mil mil mil ii 



017 463 574 2 



